April 18, 2011

Name:

Penelope

Age:

Twelve years old

Gender:

Female

Kind:

Quaker Parakeet

Home:

Ohio, USA

Penelope
is the most recent addition to her family. David, her pet human,
is a first time bird owner who adopted her from a parrot rescue in Akron,
Ohio in March 2011 after doing a lot of research on taking care of birds
and deciding that a little, feathered bundle of joy was the right pet for
him. Little did he know that he would soon become the pet. Fortunately for
Penelope's human, other people didn't research Quaker Parakeets very well,
because she is from New Jersey, and Quaker Parakeets are illegal in that
state, so he now has a little, green bundle of love. Unfortunately, many
people don't do their research when getting birds (and other pets), and
pet rescues, like the parrot rescue that Penelope came from, are
overflowing with unwanted, abused, and neglected pets.

The parrot rescue brought two other Quaker Parakeets and a Goffin's
Cockatoo to meet Penelope's human, and Penelope bonded with her human
immediately. She was very shy, and hid in his collar when he picked her up
and threw a fit when one of the rescue ladies attempted to handle her to
write down her leg band number for the adoption paperwork. Within half an
hour of getting to know her human, Penelope was sitting on his shoulder
and preening his sideburns. Her original name was William Penn, but since
she had laid eggs at the rescue, the rescue workers urged her human to
change her name. She is now Penelope, a.k.a. Penny, a.k.a. Pen Pen, a.k.a.
"My Little Green Dictator."

Fortunately for Penelope's human, she didn't come with many behavioral
issues. She is relatively tame, although she does not seem to like being
held at all, and is aggressive while in her cage, although she and her
human are working on building up enough trust so that she isn't afraid
anymore. She does love kisses on top of her head and being gently petted,
and Penelope summons her human to pet and kiss her by making kissing
noises. Penelope also says "hello" and mimics a crow when she is angry.
She is a very vocal bird, and makes all sorts of squawks, squeaks,
squeals, and chirps-something that most people don't realize before they
get a bird: birds are loud.

As Penelope's human did a lot of research before rescuing her, she lives
in a very large cage with lots of different shaped perches and fun toys.
Her favorite is a wind chime toy, because it makes the most noise when she
slams it against her cage bars. She wakes her human up most mornings by
clanging it into her cage repeatedly, squeaking with delight the whole
time. She also enjoys lots of out of cage time and loves throwing small
balls with bells inside that were originally cat toys onto the floor and
making her human fetch for her. In her old home, she was fed mostly seeds,
and, while the parrot rescue converted her over to a healthier pellet
diet, she still does not like eating fruits and vegetables which are a
necessary part of a parrot's diet.

She is a wonderful, little bird who has finally found her forever home
where she can trust, love, and be loved in return. She daily astounds her
owner with her intelligence, and is shaping up to be an incredibly snuggly
and affectionate feathered pet.